Communication system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a communication system, having at least one mobile communication device which has at least one actuating means for tripping an action of at least one piece of equipment communicating with the communication device. 
     It is provided that within a usage area ( 10 ) of the at least one communication device ( 12 ), defined regions ( 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 ) are assigned position marks ( 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 ), which when the communication device ( 12 ) enters one of the defined regions ( 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 ) of the communication device ( 12 ) impart the current position for switching over a function setting of the at least one actuating means ( 50 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a communication system having at least onemobile communication device.

Communication systems of this generic type that can move their locationare known. They have at least one mobile communication device, by meansof which an action of further devices communicating with thecommunication device can be tripped. For instance via a remotecontroller of the communication device, various pieces of equipmentand/or devices can be actuated within a usage area. Typical usage areasare for instance a building with multiple spaces, where different piecesof equipment can be actuated inside the spaces by means of thecommunication device. Since when remote controllers are used the radiowaves have the property of penetrating both the boundary walls of theindividual spaces and objects, the communication device necessarily hasto be designed in such a way as to enable operating only one particularpiece of equipment, without tripping other devices in other spaces thatare also actuatable with the communication device. To that end, it isknown to provide the communication device with a corresponding number ofactuating means, so that each possible control function within theoperational range can be executed separately, or so that some controlfunctions can be projected onto a combination of actuating means, or achronological succession of actuating means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The communication system of the invention that can be moved from placeto place, offers the advantage that in a simple way, a spatiallydependent multiple use of actuating means of the communication device ispossible. Because within one usage area of the at least onecommunication device, position marks are assigned to defined regionswhich position marks, upon entry of the communication device into thedefined region of the communication device impart the actual position,an automatic switchover of the communication device, and in particularthe setting of the at least one actuating means, can be switched over totripping of an action of a device located in the current defined region.Thus by means of one actuating means, many different devices can beactuated; this substantially improves the ease of use of thecommunication device.

In a preferred feature of the invention, the position marks generateelectromagnetic waves, which are received by the piece of communicationequipment; position marks belonging to one usage area broadcastdifferent electromagnetic waves per defined region, so that anunambiguous association with a defined region is possible. By way of theelectromagnetic waves received from the communication device, anassociation with the defined region can be made, and internally in thecommunication device a switchover of the setting of the actuating meanscan be done.

In a further preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that theposition marks are activatable by the communication device. As a result,it is highly advantageously attained that the position marks issue aposition signal to the communication device only whenever thecommunication device enters the defined region associated with theactive position marks. Thus all the position marks within the usage areaare in readiness and are activated only whenever the communicationdevice enters their region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in further detail below in an exemplaryembodiment in conjunction with the associated drawing, whichschematically shows a usage area of a communication device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the drawing, a usage area marked 10 of a communication device 12 isshown. The usage area 10 for instance includes a building or part of abuilding 14 with individual spaces 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24. Acommunication space need not be identical with the dividing up of thebuilding into rooms. For instance, one communication space can encompassseveral rooms. Naturally any other constellation of the usage area 10 isalso conceivable. In the exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that acommunication device 12 is assigned to the usage area 10. Naturallyentirely analogously, a plurality of communication devices 12 can alsobe assigned to the usage area 10.

In each of the spaces 16 through 24, at least one piece of equipment 26,28, 30, 32, and 34 is installed that is actuatable by means of thecommunication device 12. To that end, the communication device 12 forinstance has a radio transmitter while the pieces of equipment 26through 24 have a corresponding radio receiver. The pieces of equipment26 through 24 can for instance be drive mechanisms for rolling windowshutters, remote-controllable pieces of consumer electronics equipment,video cameras, or any other arbitrary piece of equipment that isactuatable by means of a remote controller.

The spaces 16 through 24 form defined regions of the usage area 10. Eachof the spaces 16 through 24 is assigned one position mark 36, 38, 40,42, and 44, respectively.

The position marks 36 through 44 have an energy source or are connectedto an energy source, and they include devices for generatingelectromagnetic signals. The electromagnetic signals can be produced forinstance by triggering a coil with a supply voltage of definedfrequency. The position marks 36 through 44 are designed such that eachof the position marks 36 through 44 broadcasts different electromagneticsignals, and in particular electromagnetic signals of differentfrequency.

The communication device 12 has a receiver 48 for the electromagneticsignals broadcast by the position marks 36 through 44. The positionmarks 36 through 44 are designed such that the broadcast electromagneticsignals can be received only within a narrowly defined spatial range ofthe receiving unit 48. In particular, the position marks 36 through 44are designed such that reception of the electromagnetic signals ispossible only when moving directly past the position marks 36 through44. For example, the position marks 36 through 44 can be disposed in theregion of access doors to the spaces 16 through 24, so that when aperson possessing the communication device 12 moves past the applicabledoor, the receiving unit 48 receives the electromagnetic signalstransmitted by the position mark 36 through 34 that has just beenpassed. By means of the electromagnetic signals received, an actuatingmeans 50 of the communication device 12 is varied in terms of a functionsetting.

The function setting of the actuating means 50 is designed such thatwhen one of the spaces 16 through 24 is entered, the piece of equipment26 through 34 located in this space can be actuated. For instance, ifthe communication device 12 is moved into the room 20, then thereceiving unit 48 receives a signal from the position mark 40 thatadjusts the setting of the actuating means 50 to control of the piece ofequipment 30. If the communication device 12 then moves on into thespace 18, the receiving unit 48 receives the electromagnetic signals ofthe position mark 38, as a result of which the functional setting of theactuating means 50 is switched over to actuating the piece of equipment28.

Thus in summary, in a simple way by means of only a single actuatingmeans 50, it is possible to actuate the most various pieces of equipment26 through 34; because of the switchover of the function setting, onlywhichever is the current piece of equipment, that is, the piece ofequipment 26 through 34, in whose defined region (spaces 16 through 24)the communication device 12 is located at the moment, can be actuated.It is understood that the communication device 12 may have additionalactuating means which for instance accomplish an actuation of all thepieces of equipment 26 through 34, regardless of whatever is the currentposition of the communication device 12, or that are used for actuatingother pieces of equipment.

The receiving unit 48 can for instance be embodied as a transceiver unit48′, so that communication is possible with the position marks 36through 44, which have a corresponding receiving device. Thethus-cooperating position marks 36 through 44 and the transceiver 48′serve to detect any motion of the communication device 12, so that allthe position marks 36 through 44 are in a resting phase, and only theposition mark 36 through 44 in whose region the communication device 12is located at that precise time, or the communication device 12 just nowentering its region, is actuated. This offers the advantage of reducingenergy consumption by the entire communication system that is movablefrom place to place to the bare minimum necessary.

To enable detection of the motion of the communication device 12, thecommunication device can for instance have a device 52 that trips asignal accordingly when the communication device 12 is in motion. Thedevice 52 can be formed for instance by a ball located in a cage andmade of an electrically conductive material; by motion of thecommunication device 12, this ball short-circuits contacts disposed,electrically insulated from one another, inside the cage. By means ofthis kind of short circuit, the transceiver 48 that thereupon respondsto the current position mark 36 through 34 at that precise time can beactivated.

The electromagnetic signals broadcast by the position marks can forinstance be low-frequency signals, or signals located in the frequencyrange of radio signals of the communication device, or high-frequencysignals. By means of the low-frequency signals and the electromagneticsignals located in the frequency range of the communication device 12,it is possible, highly advantageously, because of their spatiallylimited nature, to tune the actuating means 50 exactly to the precisecurrent defined region (spaces 16 through 24). By means of thehigh-frequency signals, which have a relatively limited range, arepreferably suitable for triggering the communication device 12, becausein this way electromagnetic signals of more than one position mark 36through 44 are prevented from being superimposed on one another.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication system, having at least onemobile communication device which has at least one actuating means fortripping an action of at least one piece of equipment communicating withthe communication device, wherein within a usage area (10) of the atleast one communication device (12), usage are (10) of the at least onecommunication device (12), defined regions (16, 18, 20, 22, 24) areassigned position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44), which when thecommunication device (12) enters one of the defined regions (16, 18, 20,22, 24) of the communication device (12) impart the current position forswitching over a function setting of the at least one actuating means(50), and wherein the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) transmitelectromagnetic signals that can be received by the communication device(12), and the communication device (12) has a receiving unit (48) forreceiving the electromagnetic signals, which as a function of thereception of the electromagnetic signals of one of the position marks(36, 38, 40, 42, 44) trips the switch over of the function setting ofthe actuating means (50), characterized in that the communication device(12) includes a device (52) by means of which a motion of thecommunication device (12) is detectable, and which triggers atransmitting device (48′) of the communication device (12) to activateat least one of the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44), so that theactivation of the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) is effected onlyif the communication device (12) is in motion, and a piece of equipmentlocated in a region when the communication device is situated, isactivated.
 2. The communication system of claim 1, characterized in thatthe position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) transmit electromagnetic signalsthat can be received by the communication device (12).
 3. Thecommunication system of claim 1, characterized in that the positionmarks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) transmit different electromagnetic signals,in particular electromagnetic signals of different frequency.
 4. Thecommunication system of claim 1, characterized in that the communicationdevice (12) has a receiving unit (48) for receiving the electromagneticsignals, which as a function of the reception of the electromagneticsignals of one of the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) trips theswitchover of the function setting of the actuating means (50).
 5. Thecommunication system of claim 1, characterized in that the positionmarks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) are disposed near the access to the regions(16, 18, 20, 22, 24).
 6. The communication system of claim 1,characterized in that the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) areactivatable by the communication device (12).
 7. The communicationsystem of claim 6, characterized in that the activation of the positionmarks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) is effected only if the communication device(12) is in motion.
 8. The communication system of claim 1, characterizedin that the communication device (12) includes a device (52) by means ofwhich a motion of the communication device (12) is detectable, and whichtriggers a transmitting device (48′) of the communication device (12) toactivate at least one of the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42, 44).
 9. Thecommunication system of claim 1, characterized in that theelectromagnetic signals broadcast by the position marks (36, 38, 40, 42,44) are low-frequency signals, or signals located in the frequency rangeof radio signals of the communication device (12), or high-frequencysignals.